Americans United - D.C. Vouchershttps://www.au.org/tags/dc-vouchers
enA Bad Deal: Budget Agreement Advances School Vouchers, Trashes Church-State Separationhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-bad-deal-budget-agreement-advances-school-vouchers-trashes-church-state
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Religious liberty is a loser in the new budget deal.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>The 11th-hour budget deal that averted a shutdown of the federal government has been the talk of the nation. Pundits are going over the agreement with a microscope, listing the winners and losers.</p>
<p>We already know one loser: religious liberty.</p>
<p>As part of the deal, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) got his way and breathed <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-wire/post/sources-budget-deal-includes-dc-abortion-rider-money-for-school-vouchers/2011/04/08/AF3ET24C_blog.html">new life</a> into a controversial school voucher plan in Washington, D.C. Boehner has pushed the voucher idea relentlessly, and it apparently became a bargaining chip during negotiations. Unfortunately, President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) agreed to Boehner’s demands.</p>
<p>This is really is quite remarkable. This budget deal, as many critics have pointed out, slashes federal spending in lots of programs. Millions of Americans may take hits. Yet somehow, amidst all of the slicing and dicing, Congress managed to come up with millions in taxpayer dollars to revive a scheme that subsidizes religious and other private schools in D.C.</p>
<p>They did this, even though (as AU has pointed out repeatedly) the voucher plan undercuts civil rights and civil liberties. It directs federal funds to Catholic, Protestant and Islamic schools that are free to indoctrinate children in the tenets of their sponsoring faiths and discriminate in hiring on grounds of religion and sexual orientation.</p>
<p>If you are a federal taxpayer, that means you will be putting your hard-earned money in the collection plates of religious denominations whether you like or not. It violates the fundamental American principle that religion must be supported by voluntary donations, not coerced support from the taxpayers.</p>
<p>Ironically, the voucher program also fails to improve academic performance. The Bush-era scheme began as a five-year pilot program in 2003. Several studies, including ones sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, have shown that vouchers <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602537.html?tid=informbox">failed to boost</a> the academic performance of the targeted population. Because of these findings, the program was set to be phased out, starting in 2008, where only the students currently receiving a voucher at that time could remain in the program.</p>
<p>Incredibly, the budget deal doles out a generous chunk of change to sectarian schools while slashing aid to public schools and other public services in D.C. While specific details remain unclear, it looks like under the deal, as much as $100 million may be diverted to religious and other private schools over five years.</p>
<p>At the same time, as much as $80 million may be cut from D.C. schools, courts and other institutions. (The deal includes a provision barring the city from using its own money to pay for abortions for poor women – another blatant sop to the Catholic hierarchy and the Religious Right.)</p>
<p>D.C. lawmakers are quite understandably furious.</p>
<p>"While I am relieved that Congress reached an agreement so that our employees can work and city services can continue, I am also angry and extremely disappointed that the District of Columbia, once again, suffered collateral damage amidst partisan bickering,” Mayor Vincent C. Gray <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/politics/budget-deal-reminds-dc-that-congress-is-still-in-charge/2011/04/09/AFMnE68C_story.html">said</a>. “The District of Columbia’s right to govern itself has, once again, been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. This is ludicrous. Hypocrisy is alive and well.”</p>
<p>Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District’s non-voting congressional delegate,<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-buzz/post/eleanor-holmes-norton-slams-at-budget-compromise/2011/04/01/AF24ZeKD_blog.html"> blasted the deal</a> on a local television station.</p>
<p>“This is the functional equivalent of bombing innocent civilians,” she said. “It’s time the District of Columbia told Congress to go straight to hell.”</p>
<p>Gray and Norton have a right to be angry – and so does every American who cares about the future of public education and church-state separation.</p>
<p>P.S. There will be a protest about this matter tonight at 5. If you live in the D.C. area, consider attending. Details <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/155213-dc-mayor-delegate-to-protest-budget-deal-riders-on-abortion-vouchers">here</a>.</p>
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</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/harry-reid">Harry Reid</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-boehner">John Boehner</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/president-barack-obama">President Barack Obama</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/vouchers">vouchers</a></span></div></div>Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:09:10 +0000Rob Boston2184 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/a-bad-deal-budget-agreement-advances-school-vouchers-trashes-church-state#commentsD.C. School Vouchers: President Obama Urges House To Vote Nohttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/dc-school-vouchers-president-obama-urges-house-to-vote-no
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>In a few hours, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on whether to reauthorize a taxpayer-funded school voucher program.</p>
<p>Americans United has been working diligently to put a stop to H.R. 471, a measure introduced by House Speaker John Boehner that would allot $100 million over the next five years to restart and expand the failed voucher “experiment” in the District of Columbia.</p>
<p>Yesterday, President Barack Obama weighed in, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-wire/post/obama_opposes_boehners_dc_school_choice_bill_but_does_not_threaten_veto/2011/03/29/AFjOO0wB_blog.html?wprss=rss_courts_law">announcing</a> that he “strongly opposed” Boehner’s measure.</p>
<p>In an official statement of administration policy released Tuesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget said “the Administration opposes the creation or expansion of private school voucher programs that are authorized by this bill.”</p>
<p>The White House also argued that “[p]rivate school vouchers are not an effective way to improve student achievement,” and that “the Administration opposes targeting resources to help a small number of individuals attend private schools rather than creating access to great public schools for every child.”</p>
<p>Obama is right. We’ve already tried vouchers in the nation’s capital and we know that the program has shown no improvement in student performance, lacks accountability, hurts public schools and subsidizes religious indoctrination with taxpayer funds.</p>
<p>Despite the fact that vouchers have failed, Boehner and the House seem likely pass the measure. It’s been clear that this isn’t about helping D.C.’s kids, but about a political ideology that opposes public education and church-state separation.</p>
<p>Through Boehner’s scheme, millions of dollars will be funneled to a very small percentage of D.C. kids for tuition at religious and other private schools.</p>
<p>What’s worse is Boehner has made it clear he wants the program to be a model for other states and cities across the nation.</p>
<p>We don’t want to see that happen. Taxpayers should never be forced to support religion; that violates the fundamental right of conscience. Eighty percent of students in the D.C. program used vouchers to attend religious schools that integrate doctrine throughout their curriculum.</p>
<p>While Obama has yet to state that he will veto the D.C. voucher bill if it comes before him, we hope that he does. Public schools serve the overwhelming majority of D.C.’s children. We should focus on improving these schools, not reinstituting a failed voucher scheme.</p>
<p>It’s not too late, <a href="http://www.au.org/homepage/features/archive/2011/03-vouchers/?utm_source=au%2Bhomepage&amp;utm_medium=homepage%2Bbanner&amp;utm_campaign=Featured%2Bon%20homepage#continue-reading">tell</a> your members of Congress to oppose D.C. vouchers NOW.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/barack-obama">Barack Obama</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-boehner">John Boehner</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/public-funding-religion">public funding of religion</a></span></div></div>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:56:27 +0000Sandhya Bathija2513 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/dc-school-vouchers-president-obama-urges-house-to-vote-no#commentsPublic Funds For Fred Phelps?: Voucher Dollars Could Go To Religious Schools That Teach Hatehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/public-funds-for-fred-phelps-voucher-dollars-could-go-to-religious-schools
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>When it comes to school vouchers, Indiana State Sen. Brent Steele (R-Bedford) seems to get it.</p>
<p>The Republican lawmaker doesn’t want to support an Indiana bill that would use public funds to send students to religious and other private schools. Steele is the first Republican legislator in the state to voice opposition to the proposal.</p>
<p>In a letter to every lawmaker sent out this week, Steele <a href="http://www.ibj.com/indiana-privateschool-voucher-bill-faces-changes/PARAMS/article/25603">writes</a> that he wouldn’t want his taxes to pay for students to attend a school run by the Westboro Baptist Church. Members of the notorious Topeka, Kan.-based church demonstrate at the funerals of soldiers, holding up signs with hateful anti-gay messages. The church’s protests are constitutionally protected free speech, according to a recent U.S. Supreme Court <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/us/03scotus.html?_r=1&amp;scp=2&amp;sq=westboro&amp;st=cse">decision</a>.</p>
<p>“We just saw this week the Westboro Baptist Church is recognized as a religious entity that is protected,” <a href="http://indiana.onpolitix.com/news/38544/vouchers-for-westboro">observed</a> Steele. “How would you like your tax dollars going toward educating their children being privately schooled inside their church? I don’t want my tax dollars used to raise a child who is going to want to kill my grandchildren because they are of a different religious belief.</p>
<p>"Once you start letting tax dollars go out to religious schools," Steele<a href="http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/politics/gop-member-worries-about-voucher-bill"> continued</a>, "you can't make a determination which is the best religion or what is a proper religion."</p>
<p>That’s exactly right. Taxpayer funds should never go to support religious schools, period. Not only does it create a slippery slope, it also raises a wide array of serious constitutional concerns.</p>
<p>The religious school subsidy is a pet project of Gov. Mitch Daniels, who in December unveiled an education plan that included a large voucher component. Daniels said he wanted to make tuition aid available to “low and moderate” income residents statewide, offering up to $5,500 in stipends.</p>
<p>The plan would allow private schools to decide which students to accept and would have no cap on the number of pupils taking part. If the measure passes, it will be one of the most sweeping voucher programs in the country.</p>
<p>Daniel’s pitch hasn’t been well-received by Democrats in the Indiana House. They have staged a walkout over the voucher measure and other legislation impacting the middle class. They are camping out in Illinois until these bills are dropped. Republicans hold a 60-40 majority in the House, but a two-thirds quorum is needed to vote on legislation.</p>
<p>Steele’s letter is the latest twist in the Indiana drama. We hope he can get through to his fellow lawmakers and finally put an end to the misguided voucher plan.</p>
<p>As Americans United has said before: Vouchers are bad news. Voucher subsidies for religious schools undermine church-state separation, undercut civil rights, hurt the public schools, are opposed by voters and have not improved student performance.</p>
<p>Still, legislators in more than 30 states have introduced voucher bills this session. And the battle continues to brew in Congress, where House Speaker John Boehner and U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman are pushing a measure to <a href="http://blog.au.org/2011/03/09/broken-record-boehner-wants-to-cut-all-social-programs-%E2%80%93-except-school-vouchers-except-school-vouchers-except-school-vouchers%E2%80%A6/">reauthorize a D.C. voucher scheme</a>.</p>
<p>Now is the time for AU activists to come together to <a href="http://www.au.org/homepage/features/archive/2011/02-vouchers/?utm_source=au%2Bhomepage&amp;utm_medium=homepage%2Bbanner&amp;utm_campaign=Featured%2Bon%20homepage">defeat these voucher measures </a>across the country. Contact your state and federal lawmakers today and tell them you don’t want your tax dollars to pay for religious education.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/brent-steele">Brent Steele</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/indiana">Indiana</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/john-boehner">John Boehner</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/joseph-lieberman">Joseph Lieberman</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/official-prayer-religious-displays-amp-ceremonial-religion-outside-schools">Official Prayer, Religious Displays &amp;amp; Ceremonial Religion (outside schools)</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/public-funding-religion">public funding of religion</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/public-schools">public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers-amp-government-subsidies-religious-schools">School Vouchers &amp;amp; Government Subsidies of Religious Schools</a></span></div></div>Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:41:31 +0000Sandhya Bathija2511 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/public-funds-for-fred-phelps-voucher-dollars-could-go-to-religious-schools#commentsVoucher Revival?: ‘School Choice’ Proponents Are Targeting New Congresshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/voucher-revival-%E2%80%98school-choice%E2%80%99-proponents-are-targeting-new-congress
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The polls have been closed for less than 48 hours, and proponents of religious school voucher subsidies are already on the march.</p>
<p>D.C. Parents for School Choice issued a statement yesterday <a href="http://www.pr-inside.com/d-c-school-choice-coalition-vows-aggressive-r2224963.htm">claiming</a> that Tuesday’s election results will increase the chances of continuing a District of Columbia program that funnels federal taxpayer dollars to religious education.</p>
<p>"Our representatives have the opportunity to right one of the most severe wrongs of the past two years -- the elimination of the [Opportunity Scholarship Program]," said Virginia Walden Ford, the group’s executive director. "The time has come for our new Congress to send a clear message to D.C. parents -- that their needs will no longer fall on deaf ears in the highest corridors of power."</p>
<p>The D.C. voucher program was pushed through Congress by the George W. Bush administration. It passed the House of Representatives by a single vote in 2004 and cleared the Senate only as a result of a procedural move.</p>
<p>The scheme paid up to $7,500 per student for tuition at religious and other private schools and was supposed to be a five-year experiment. The “experiment” was a failure, and after it expired in 2008, Congress limited participation to students already receiving a voucher. No new students were permitted to enter the program – a compromise supported by President Obama.</p>
<p>But despite this compromise, a few members of Congress have sought to reauthorize and expand the program so new students can be admitted. So far, Americans United and our allies have succeeded in stopping these plans.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it looks like we may have an uphill battle to keep it that way.</p>
<p>D.C. Parents for School Choice said yesterday that it would be mailing packets of information about the voucher program to newly elected House members and senators this week. But I am confident these packets will leave out important <a href="//www.au.org/search/?q=voucher+obsession&amp;sa=Search&amp;cx=015092546853082832047%3Aeyh7fj2x-84&amp;cof=FORID%3A9&amp;ie=UTF-8#1126">facts</a>, such as:</p>
<ul><li> Approximately 82 percent of D.C. voucher students attended religious schools in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Education.</li>
</ul><ul><li> In its final report on the program, the U.S. Department of Education found no significant improvement in the reading and math scores of students participating in the D.C. voucher program.</li>
</ul><ul><li> Studies have also shown that D.C. vouchers have no effect on student motivation, engagement and perceptions of safety. In fact, many voucher schools do not provide key services that public schools do.</li>
</ul><ul><li> A 2007 Government Accountability Office report found participating private schools lacked occupancy permits and employed teachers without bachelor’s degrees.</li>
</ul><p>Voucher boosters are blind to this reality. And they want Congress to be, too.</p>
<p>After all, voucher proponents already have the media fooled.</p>
<p>The <em>Washington Post</em>, for example, has been a strong advocate of the program, and has essentially <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/03/16/low-post-newspaper-shoots-and-misses-on-school-vouchers-%E2%80%93-again/">said</a> those who oppose vouchers are wrong. The newspaper has even called AU out by name!</p>
<p>But Americans United has done extensive research on this issue, and we know we are right. The D.C. voucher program does not work and uses our taxes to pay for religious education.</p>
<p>We hope Congress looks at the facts, not pro-voucher propaganda, when this issue comes up.</p>
<p>The D.C. voucher program is just one of many threats to church-state separation we will have to deal with under the new Congress. Stay tuned.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-parents-school-choice">D.C. Parents for School Choice</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers-amp-government-subsidies-religious-schools">School Vouchers &amp;amp; Government Subsidies of Religious Schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/virginia-walden-ford">Virginia Walden Ford</a></span></div></div>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:34:38 +0000Sandhya Bathija2481 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/voucher-revival-%E2%80%98school-choice%E2%80%99-proponents-are-targeting-new-congress#commentsHeritage Of Shame: Right-Wing Foundation Exploits Poor D.C. Kidshttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/heritage-of-shame-right-wing-foundation-exploits-poor-dc-kids
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The truth is, Heritage doesn’t give two figs for the poor and struggling families in Washington, D.C.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Every morning, I pass through Union Station, a majestic restored train station, on my way to work at Americans United.</p>
<p>Union Station contains a stop for the Washington, D.C., subway, the Metro. Lately, I’ve noticed huge posters plastered all over the station walls. They depict pictures of smiling (mostly minority) children demanding to know why Congress won’t give them “scholarships” to attend private schools.</p>
<p>The posters plug a Web site called <a href="http://www.voicesofschoolchoice.org">voicesofschoolchoice.org</a>. At first glance, you would assume this was a project of African-American parents in the District of Columbia who want to see the city’s federally funded voucher plan reauthorized. (The plan was authorized for five years in 2004. Recently, the <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2010/03/au-commends-senate-for.html">Senate voted against</a> extending it.)</p>
<p>If you go to the site and scroll down to the very bottom, however, in barely legible, tiny type, you learn the truth: Voices of School Choice is a project of the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank that works to abolish as many government programs as possible.</p>
<p>Two of Heritage’s biggest targets are teachers’ unions and public education. Promoting vouchers and other school privatization schemes gives Heritage an opportunity to take a shot at both at once. So this new campaign isn’t really about helping poor, minority families at all – it’s about promoting Heritage’s right-wing ideology. What a surprise!</p>
<p>Heritage isn’t interested in helping people in need and has consistently taken stands against social programs that lend a hand to the poor, the unemployed, the working class and the elderly.</p>
<p>Consider food stamps. You might have noticed that a lot of people in this country are hurting right now. A lot of jobs have been lost, and many people who never thought it would happen to them have fallen into the social safety net. <em>The New York Times</em> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/us/29foodstamps.html">reported</a> last year that the use of food stamps has soared. The newspaper quoted people who never expected to be on this type of public assistance.</p>
<p>What does the Heritage Foundation think about this? Well, Heritage would like to abolish food stamps. It calls for “reforming” (read: abolishing) the program, lambasting it as “a fossil embodying all the errors of the old War on Poverty.”</p>
<p>Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at Heritage, helpfully explained in 2007 that many poor people are in fact obese because they eat too much junk food. Their problem is too much food, not a lack of it. (By the way, Edwin J. Feulner, president of the Heritage Foundation, makes $947,999 per year. No food stamps for him!)</p>
<p>Here are some other things the Heritage Foundation would like to do away with: Head Start, the minimum wage, Medicaid and Social Security. As a general rule, if it’s a social program, and the government is paying for it, Heritage doesn’t like it.</p>
<p>I realize that people of goodwill can have disagreements about what government should do to alleviate problems like poverty, lack of access to health care and shortages of affordable housing. What I object to is an organization that has done nothing but labor to not just shred, but remove entirely, the social safety net posing as a champion of the downtrodden.</p>
<p>The truth is, Heritage doesn’t give two figs for the poor and struggling families in Washington, D.C. Sure, Heritage plutocrats are more than happy to use images of these children for their own ends, but the organization ought to be honest about what those ends are. They include “reforming” (privatizing) public education.</p>
<p>Ninety percent of America’s school children attend public schools – including lots of low-income kids. Federal funds should go toward improving those schools, not subsidizing religious and other private schools.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/heritage-foundation">Heritage Foundation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers-amp-government-subsidies-religious-schools">School Vouchers &amp;amp; Government Subsidies of Religious Schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tax-aid-religious-schools">tax aid to religious schools</a></span></div></div>Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:14:17 +0000Rob Boston2068 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/heritage-of-shame-right-wing-foundation-exploits-poor-dc-kids#commentsLow Post: Newspaper Shoots And Misses On School Vouchers – Again!https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/low-post-newspaper-shoots-and-misses-on-school-vouchers-%E2%80%93-again
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">The newspaper has essentially said those who oppose vouchers are liars.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I- Conn.) can definitely count on <em>The Washington Post</em> to lend a hand when it comes to his crusade for school vouchers in the District of Columbia.</p>
<p>Today, the<em> Post</em> <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/15/AR2010031503154.html">added</a> to the seemingly endless stream of editorials it has already published in support of the D.C. voucher program, which uses federal funds to pay for tuition at religious and other private schools.</p>
<p>This time, the newspaper’s intent is to garner support for Lieberman’s amendment to a Federal Aviation Administration bill that would extend and expand the failed D.C. “experiment.”</p>
<p>The pilot voucher program expired in 2008, and since then, Congress has only allotted funds to allow students already in the program to use a voucher through their high school graduation. The <em>Post</em>, and Lieberman, want to see the program expanded to new students.</p>
<p>Lieberman’s intentions in pushing for D.C. vouchers are obvious -- he is <a href="http://www.au.org/media/church-and-state/archives/2009/09/voucher-venture.html">driven</a> by ideology.</p>
<p>But I really cannot understand why the newspaper has such a vested stake in the issue. The <em>Post</em>’s editorial writers <a href="http://blog.au.org/2010/02/09/voucher-volley-d-c-newspaper-continues-to-push-failed-school-aid-plan/">have written on the issue repeatedly</a> and claim to have the best interests of D.C’s children at heart. But if that were the case, they wouldn’t be so blind to the facts.</p>
<p>The newspaper has essentially said those who oppose vouchers are liars.</p>
<p>Today’s editorial even mentions Americans United by name and calls us out for being wrong. We consider this a backhanded compliment. We’re thankful to be recognized for the hard work we have done in opposing vouchers.</p>
<p>But the <em>Post</em>’s assertions notwithstanding, our legislative department has done extensive research on this issue, and we know we are not wrong.</p>
<p>First, the <em>Post</em> claims we are inaccurate in claiming vouchers have been unsuccessful. To prove that point, the newspaper provides a quote from a U.S. Department of Education investigator who stated, “The D.C. voucher program has proven to be the most effective education policy evaluated by the federal government’s official education research arm so far.”</p>
<p>While this person may have said this, it hardly stands up against solid evidence. According the department’s studies, results in 2007 and 2008 <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094050/pdf/20094051.pdf">showed</a> no statistically significant academic improvement for voucher students. And for students who come from “Schools in Need of Improvement” – the target population for the program – the 2009 study indicated no academic improvement for a third year in a row.</p>
<p>Second, the <em>Post </em>argues that the voucher program has not hurt public schools by taking away resources. But I don’t see how anyone could make this claim, considering federal funds that could have gone to public schools have instead been used to pay tuition for a minimal number of students. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to use that additional money to set up initiatives or programs within public schools that could have helped <em>all </em>students?</p>
<p>And finally, the <em>Post</em> insists that it is not inappropriate to use public money for religious schools, citing the U.S. Supreme Court decision, <em>Zelman v. Simmons-Harris</em>, which <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/00-1751.ZS.html">upheld</a> a voucher program in Ohio. But once again, the <em>Post </em>fails to tell the whole story.</p>
<p>In <em>Zelman</em>, the court upheld the Cleveland voucher program because students could pick from a breadth of choices in schools, including charter and magnet schools, not just religious schools.</p>
<p>But the structure of the D.C. program is different than that in Cleveland. This program actually gives an incentive to parents to choose religious schools because those schools will not cost them any additional money. Under this voucher scheme, students are given limited funds that really only cover religious school tuition, not elite private schools. <a href="//www.gao.gov/new.items/d089.pdf">According </a>to a Government Accountability Office report, because voucher students only receive a low amount for tuition, 75 percent of D.C. voucher students attend schools costing less than $7,500 – the going rate for a D.C. parochial school.</p>
<p>In fact, 82 percent of D.C. voucher students attended religious schools in 2009, <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094050/pdf/20094051.pdf">according</a> to the U.S. Department of Education. And <a href="//www.cathstan.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&amp;SubSectionID=21&amp;ArticleID=2943">according </a>to the <em>Catholic Standard</em>, 879 of the 1700 D.C. students enrolled in the voucher program last year attended Catholic schools.</p>
<p>Besides, even if the D.C. voucher program were permissible under <em>Zelman</em>, that doesn’t make it good policy.</p>
<p>Still, the <em>Post</em> will continue to ignore these facts and persist in trying to influence the public through its inaccurate editorials.</p>
<p>And Americans United, along with our allies in the National Coalition for Public Education, will continue to expose the truth about the voucher program. When Lieberman’s amendment comes up for a vote (perhaps as early as today), we hope to have at least convinced our senators on why vouchers have been bad for our nation’s capital.</p>
<p>If you want to help, <a href="//www.capwiz.com/au/issues/alert/?alertid=14756541">let the Senate know</a> you want a NO vote on the Lieberman amendment by sending an e-mail or calling your senators through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers-amp-government-subsidies-religious-schools">School Vouchers &amp;amp; Government Subsidies of Religious Schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tax-aid-religion">tax aid to religion</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/tax-aid-religious-schools">tax aid to religious schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/washington-post">The Washington Post</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/vouchers">vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/zelman-v-simmons-harris">Zelman v. Simmons-Harris</a></span></div></div>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:01:24 +0000Sandhya Bathija2420 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/low-post-newspaper-shoots-and-misses-on-school-vouchers-%E2%80%93-again#commentsThe (Mis)education Of Sen. Lieberman: Why The Senate Must Reject The D.C. Voucher Expansionhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/the-miseducation-of-sen-lieberman-why-the-senate-must-reject-the-dc-voucher
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Voucher subsidies violate religious liberty rights and distract us from the important work of education reform. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>The battle to end Washington, D.C.’s controversial school voucher program is entering a critical phase.</p>
<p>A little background: The plan, pitched as an “experiment,” was initially authorized in 2004 for five years. Heavily promoted by the Bush administration, it passed the House of Representatives by a single vote six years ago on a night when many voucher opponents were away from the floor. Republicans held the vote open for more than 40 minutes to gather the necessary votes. It later cleared the Senate only as a result of a procedural move.</p>
<p>Since then, studies have shown that the program has been academically unsuccessful. It has also been marred by other problems – but ideologues in Congress won’t let it die.</p>
<p>Last week, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) introduced an amendment to the jobs bill that would reauthorize the voucher plan. For a while it looked like Lieberman’s amendment might get a floor vote, but for various reasons that fell through.</p>
<p>Undeterred, Lieberman is casting around for another vehicle to keep the voucher program alive. The rumor is he might even attempt to attach it to a bill authorizing funding for the Federal Aviation Administration.</p>
<p>Although often described as a plan to help students and wrapped in the euphemism of a “scholarship program,” the voucher scheme is in reality little more than a massive subsidy to religious and other private schools.</p>
<p>Changing demographics and ongoing economic uncertainties have led many religious groups, primarily the Catholic hierarchy, to shutter many private schools. This has distressed church leaders and some of their political allies. In that respect, the voucher plan is little more than a massive, taxpayer-funded bailout of religious institutions.</p>
<p>It’s worth remembering that religious schools play by their own rules. They can hire and fire staff according to religious criteria. If a teacher’s religious, political or personal choices offend the governing clerics, that teacher can be dismissed with no questions asked and no legal recourse available.</p>
<p>Religious schools can even discriminate against students. In Boulder, Colo., a Catholic school <a href="http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=133945&amp;catid=339">recently told</a> the parents of a preschool student that the child is not welcome to return next year. What did the preschooler do to bring down such punishment? Nothing. School officials want the child out because the parents are lesbians.</p>
<p>Several teachers at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School are angry over the decision, but school officials refuse to back down. The Archdiocese of Denver issued a statement reading, “Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment.”</p>
<p>Private religious schools have the right to promulgate discriminatory rules like this, but the taxpayer shouldn’t be expected to subsidize such short-sighted and cruel policies.</p>
<p>Noxious forms of discrimination like this are just one reason to oppose vouchers. Voucher subsidies also violate religious liberty rights and distract us from the important work of education reform. No one disputes that D.C. has some troubled public schools. We need a solution that works for all of the kids – not a cop-out that allows a small percentage to attend religious institutions where they are indoctrinated courtesy of the taxpayer.</p>
<p>The Senate must reject Lieberman’s gambit.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/boulder">Boulder</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/colorado">Colorado</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-opportunity-scholarship-program">D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/sen-joseph-lieberman">Sen. Joseph Lieberman</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/vouchers">vouchers</a></span></div></div>Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:12:05 +0000Rob Boston2061 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/the-miseducation-of-sen-lieberman-why-the-senate-must-reject-the-dc-voucher#commentsVoucher Volley: D.C. Newspaper Continues To Push Failed School-Aid Planhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/voucher-volley-dc-newspaper-continues-to-push-failed-school-aid-plan
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">It’s time that The Post admit that the D.C. voucher plan, like all other voucher programs, fails to deliver.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><em><a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/02/obama_and_vouchers.html">The Washington Post</a></em> yesterday added to its long list of editorials and columns in support of Washington, D.C.’s controversial school voucher plan.</p>
<p>The newspaper seems to have an obsession with keeping the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program alive, despite knowing that the program has shown no improvement in student performance, lacks accountability, hurts public schools and subsidizes religious education with taxpayer funds.</p>
<p>The federally funded program was supposed to expire last year, after serving as a five-year pilot program. President Barack Obama proposed only to continue funding the plan for students already in the program until they graduate and Congress <a href="http://blog.au.org/2009/12/11/school-voucher-victory-congressional-package-limits-regulates-dc-private-school-aid/">has allocated</a> just enough money to fund the current students for another year.</p>
<p>Americans United celebrated this as a victory not too long ago. But <em>The Post</em> still won’t give it a rest.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, in his op-ed, Fred Hiatt asked why President Obama would “kill off” the program before we can find out if the program even works. He said he accepts that the program won’t solve the whole problem, but he wants the federal government to “robustly” fund it anyway – just to see if it could work if we threw enough money at it.</p>
<p>“But even if you're inclined against vouchers, he writes, “why not embrace a program that has a chance to shed real light on the long-running, fraught and inconclusive argument about their effectiveness? The D.C. program was established to provide such evidence. It enrolled a control group of children who applied for vouchers but didn't get them, and it is following them along with the kids with vouchers. In a couple more years, if funded robustly, it would give us a real sense of what worked and what didn't. That could be helpful to lots of children.”</p>
<p>It appears Hiatt hasn’t read up too much on vouchers. If he had, he would know there is no need to waste anymore time on the D.C. program. His own newspaper has published articles reporting on <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602537.html?tid=informbox">studies</a> that showed voucher students attending private schools in Washington, D.C., are performing the same on reading and math tests as students who have remained in the public school system.</p>
<p>And if he had dug a little deeper, he would have seen additional <a href="http://blog.au.org/2009/12/11/school-voucher-victory-congressional-package-limits-regulates-dc-private-school-aid/">studies</a> that have been conducted on voucher programs operating in Milwaukee and Cleveland pointing to the same result. </p>
<p>AU has tirelessly worked behind the scenes to end this unwise program in D.C. We’ve <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2009/09/dc-voucher-program-has.html">told</a> Congress and the president that the voucher program has been detrimental to the education of students in the nation’s capital.</p>
<p>We’ve also reminded the public repeatedly that the federal government should be funding the public schools, not funneling taxpayer funds to private and religious schools that lack accountability, religious liberty and civil rights standards.</p>
<p>Five years has been more than enough to assess the effect of vouchers. Unlike Hiatt, AU has done its research. It's time that <em>The Post</em> accept that and admit that the D.C. voucher plan, like all other voucher programs, fails to deliver.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/school-vouchers">school vouchers</a></span></div></div>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:58:44 +0000Sandhya Bathija2405 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/voucher-volley-dc-newspaper-continues-to-push-failed-school-aid-plan#commentsSchool Voucher Victory: Congressional Package Limits, Regulates D.C. Private School Aidhttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/school-voucher-victory-congressional-package-limits-regulates-dc-private
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>It's always nice when we can end the week on a high note. News reports indicate that Congress seems to be on board with adding new regulations to the school voucher scheme in the District of Columbia and eventually closing it entirely.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/09/AR2009120903170.html"><em>The Washington Post</em></a>, "buried deep within a thousand-page omnibus spending bill released Monday by a joint conference of House and Senate Appropriations Committee member," only $13.2 million has be allocated to vouchers – just enough funds to support current students in the program. (It's important to note that because Congress has done this as a conference report, it is not amendable and we can be assured there won't be a D.C. vouchers amendment.)</p>
<p>The bill also suggests tightening accountability measures for schools participating in the program. In addition to teachers of core subjects being required to have bachelor's degrees and schools being required to have certificates of occupancy, schools must also be in compliance with the accreditation and other standards that are already required of D.C. private schools. The Department of Education also must inspect schools and file reports on the voucher schools' academic vigor and the voucher schools will have to administer the same tests to their voucher students that students at D.C. public and charter schools receive.</p>
<p>Americans United has been a leader in battling the federally funded D.C. voucher program, which has not significantly improved student performance and serves mainly to subsidize religious education with tax funds.</p>
<p>The program was supposed to expire last year, after serving as a five-year pilot program, but Congress agreed to funding through this year. At that time, President Barack Obama proposed only to continue funding the plan for students already in the program until they graduate.</p>
<p>In June, AU signed on to a <a href="http://www.au.org/documents/2009/06/2009-6-24-subcommittee-letter.pdf">letter</a> from the National Coalition for Public Education asking the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government to "oppose the continuation of the already expired, failed D.C. private school voucher pilot program."</p>
<p>Then, in September, AU provided <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2009/09/dc-voucher-program-has.html">written testimony</a> to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations' Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, explaining that the voucher program has been detrimental to the education of students in the nation's capital.</p>
<p>AU traced the history of the program, noting that it was heavily promoted under the Bush administration and was approved by the House of Representatives by only one vote in 2004 when many voucher opponents were away from that chamber. It later cleared the Senate only as a result of a procedural move.</p>
<p>The letter also pointed to objective studies by the U.S. Department of Education that prove voucher students from disadvantaged schools have shown no significant improvement in reading or math achievement.</p>
<p>What's more, AU asserted, participating religious schools are allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion when hiring staff. Plus, voucher students may not be given a true choice at all since it appears that their families are deliberately steered toward certain schools.</p>
<p>"The federal government should be funding public schools rather than funneling taxpayer funds to private schools that lack accountability, religious liberty and civil rights standards," the letter said.</p>
<p>After working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this unwise program to an end, AU sees the actions in Congress this week as a big step forward. We wish the voucher program were defunded now, but at least, it seems likely to end when currently enrolled students graduate.</p>
<p>Sectarian pressure groups and their right-wing political allies have put on a furious campaign to expand the voucher plan, but it looks as though they've failed.</p>
<p>We recognize, however, that our work on this issue is not yet done. It's still possible for Sen. Joseph I. Liberman (I-Conn.) to move forward with his <a href="http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2009/07/congress-should-reject-scheme.html">legislation</a> reauthorizing D.C. vouchers and even expanding the program to include lots of new students in the future.</p>
<p>We'll be on a lookout for that. This may be another battle won, but we still know the voucher war is far from over.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/congress">Congress</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/joe-lieberman">Joe Lieberman</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religion-public-schools-and-universities">Religion in Public Schools and Universities</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/religoius-school-vouchers">religoius school vouchers</a></span></div></div>Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:32:05 +0000Sandhya Bathija2410 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/school-voucher-victory-congressional-package-limits-regulates-dc-private#commentsCapital Opportunity: House Panel Should Defund D.C. Voucher Schemehttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/capital-opportunity-house-panel-should-defund-dc-voucher-scheme
<a href="/about/people/bathija">Sandhya Bathija</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">&quot;[T]he very rationale of the program has been proven to be a failure,&quot; Marc Egan, director of federal affairs for the National School Boards Association, told www.cnsnews.com. &quot;We think the money that the Bush administration wants to spend on the voucher program would be better invested in public schools.&quot;</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>A House Appropriations subcommittee voted yesterday to extend funding for another year to a school voucher program in the District of Columbia, despite two consecutive reports from the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602537.html?tid=informbox">U.S. Department of Education </a> that showed little to no improvement in the academic performance of students receiving the vouchers.</p>
<p>The measure will move to the full Appropriations Committee next week, and we at Americans United hope members of Congress will decide to put the money where it rightfully belongs -- into the public schools.</p>
<p>For the past five years, children from low-income families in D.C. have received federally funded vouchers (up to $7,500 per student per year) to attend religious or other private schools. The "Opportunity Scholarship" program is scheduled to expire in 2008, but is currently slated to receive $18 million to extend the voucher program for another year.</p>
<p>According to a study conducted by the<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602537.html?tid=informbox"> U.S. Department of Education</a>, which was just released last week, students receiving the vouchers and attending private schools are performing the same on reading and math tests as students who have remained in the public school system. In 2007, the <a href="http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074009/">DOE's report</a> found the same.</p>
<p>The voucher scheme is a <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184005,00.html">favorite of President George W. Bush</a>, and he has requested additional funding for the program every year since it began in 2004. In fact, Bush's FY 2007 budget even proposed $100 million to create federal voucher programs nationwide.</p>
<p>The program does nothing to improve education, and it raises constitutional and civil rights issues as well. It seems it is time to put it to rest.</p>
<p>"[T]he very rationale of the program has been proven to be a failure," Marc Egan, director of federal affairs for the National School Boards Association, <a href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200806/NAT20080611b.html">told</a> <a href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200806/NAT20080611b.html">www.cnsnews.com</a>. "We think the money that the Bush administration wants to spend on the voucher program would be better invested in public schools."</p>
<p>And that makes sense. If the program isn't working and it raises serious civil liberties questions, why spend another dime on it? The program undermines the public school system, does not improve education and gives federal funds to religious schools that do not comply with federal civil rights laws nor face public accountability.</p>
<p>Those are the facts we're hoping the Appropriations Committee will remember when they consider whether to fund the program for next year.</p>
</div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/dc-vouchers">D.C. Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/public-schools">public schools</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/us-department-education">U.S. Department of Education</a></span></div></div>Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:52:34 +0000Sandhya Bathija2267 at https://www.au.orghttps://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/capital-opportunity-house-panel-should-defund-dc-voucher-scheme#comments